Open Data Backend Engineer, (Senior Consultant, Engineering & Technical Services)

Open Data Backend Engineer - Drupal (DKAN), (Senior Consultant, Engineering & Technical Services)

At Fearless, the Senior Consultant, Engineering & Technical Services, serves as a technical leader

within cross-functional Agile teams, driving the design, architecture, and maintenance of modern,

high-impact digital experiences for a federal health care platform that serves approximately 11

million monthly users. This role advances CMS's open data sites and the federal open data

ecosystem, building and extending DKAN-based data portals on Drupal 11, with a focus on

performance, security, and scalability.

As a senior practitioner, the successful candidate coaches and mentors peers, leads stakeholder

alignment, owns delivery risk, and translates complex requirements into resilient

solutions—tackling significant problems that affect millions of users.

This position is remote and requires a federal Public Trust clearance, a federal background

investigation, and U.S. residence for at least 3 of the last 5 years to satisfy all CMS residency

requirements.

This role will possess the skills to be able to bridge business objectives with technical execution in software development, infrastructure, security, and testing at an advanced application level of proficiency. The Sr. Consultant role will work on projects that allow them to ensure scalable, secure, and reliable solutions while mentoring engineers, fostering collaboration, and aligning stakeholders with product and project goals.

Place of Performance & Travel Requirements

● While this role is primarily remote, candidates must meet CMS residency requirements.

● Mandatory technical assessment: As part of the recruitment workflow, engineering candidates are required to perform a CivicActions (Partner Lead) take-home exercise. This specialized evaluation supersedes Test Gorilla assessments.

Fearless Your Responsibilities in this Role: 

● Design, build, and maintain Drupal 11 backend features and custom modules with a focus on performance, security, and scalability

● Extend, customize, and upgrade DKAN-based data portals, including dataset schemas, harvesting jobs, and metadata workflows

● Architect and integrate APIs that expose CMS healthcare data to the public

● Manage configuration-as-code using the Drupal Configuration API

● Develop code collaboratively in Git (forks, branching, pull requests, conflict resolution) and take part in peer programming and code reviews

● Set up and maintain local Drupal sandbox environments using Docker-based tools (e.g., DDEV, docker-compose)

● Write unit, integration, and behavioral tests (PHPUnit, Cypress) to validate features

● Draft and maintain user-story acceptance criteria, implementation notes, and risk/assumptions

● Coach and mentor peers on backend best practices, security awareness, and Drupal architecture patterns

● Participate fully in Agile ceremonies, project meetings, and internal knowledge-sharing sessions

The Impact You Will Create in this Role: 

Fearless Impact:

• Fosters collaboration with cross functional teams by taking the initiative and driving conversations 
• Coach, mentor, and develop peers that elevate team capability and technical expertise using clear and persuasive communication of engineering solutions to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Earn the trust of your customer and teammates by delivering world class services.
• Drive accountability and delivery by ensuring project objectives are not only met on time but aligned with client priorities and Fearless standards of excellence. Anticipate risks and implement proactive solutions to keep initiatives on track.
• Take ownership of risk management by monitoring deliverables across the team, identifying issues early, and coaching teammates on mitigation strategies while keeping leadership informed.
• Shape client engagement and intelligence-gathering efforts by actively cultivating relationships with stakeholders, synthesizing insights across the client organization and partner ecosystem, and providing Fearless leaders with actionable recommendations that inform strategy and strengthen delivery outcomes.

Fearless Customer Impact:

• Deliver expected outcomes relative to high quality code and maintainable systems
• Offer and implement innovative solutions that include engineering best practices through new tools, frameworks and methodologies
• Lead and align stakeholders with product and project goals that advance customer satisfaction as well as Fearless’ objectives, strategy, and mission
• Serve as a trusted advisor in your area of expertise

Project Specific Skill and Experience Requirements

● 7+ years of engineering experience

● Bachelor's degree or 4 years of additional experience

● Deep experience with Drupal 10–11 core and contributed APIs (Entity, Form, Plugin, Configuration, etc.) and custom module development

● Firm grasp of object-oriented principles in PHP and software engineering best practices

● Comfortable reading external API documentation and integrating RESTful or GraphQL services

● Familiarity with open-data standards, publishing workflows, or platforms (e.g., DKAN, CKAN, Socrata, data.gov, DCAT, FHIR)

● Ability to craft optimized SQL as well as Drupal EntityQuery/Database-API calls

● Experience with command-line tools, including Drush and common Unix utilities

● Ability to develop unit and/or behavioral tests using automated testing tools (e.g., Cypress, PHPUnit) and efficient debugging practices (e.g., Xdebug)

● Strong understanding of Git workflows and CI/CD pipelines

● Drupal.org username required

● U.S. residency for at least 3 of the last 5 years and ability to pass a federal background check

● Ability to obtain and maintain Public Trust clearance

Preferred Skills and Experience

● Demonstrated hands-on experience with the DKAN distribution (dataset creation, harvesting, catalog search, custom module development)

● Experience with large-scale data ingestion, ETL pipelines, or data normalization

● Knowledge of healthcare data formats or interoperability standards (e.g., HL7 FHIR, C-CDA)

● Strong understanding of caching systems (Drupal, Varnish, Akamai CDN)

● Familiarity with accessibility (Section 508 / WCAG) and performance optimization for query-heavy public websites

Fearless Skills and Competencies

• Analytical Thinking: The ability to observe and interpret information, break down complex problems into parts, identify patterns/relationships and draw logical conclusions to develop effective solutions.
• Synthetic Thinking: The ability to combine different ideas, information, or concepts to create a new, complex understanding or solution by integrating disparate elements into a new, meaningful whole.
• Adaptability: Comfort with change, flexibility in the face of shifting demands and resilience to setbacks.
• Ownership & Accountability: Committed to taking responsibility for outcomes, ensuring that all commitments are met with a focus on enhancing service delivery.
• Consultative Advising: Identifies and articulates client challenges, scopes projects and aligns recommendations to business goals and client expectations.
• Communicating with Influence: Capable of crafting and delivering clear, persuasive messages that integrate data insights and structured narratives, tailored to the strategic needs of diverse audiences to drive effective decision-making.
• Managing Priorities & Client Alignment: Skillfully negotiates and manages conflicting priorities to strategically align decisions, enhancing service delivery and client satisfaction.

Required Level of Proficiency:

• Advanced Application: You can perform the actions associated with a skill without assistance. You are recognized within your immediate organization as "a person to ask" when difficult questions regarding required skills arise.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to sit for extended periods while working on a computer or during meetings.
• Must be able to travel occasionally to client sites or company meetings, which may involve driving or flying.
• Ability to communicate effectively via phone, email, and in-person, requiring clear speech, listening, and written communication skills.
• Ability to move within an office environment, including reaching for files, using office equipment, and occasional light lifting (up to 10 pounds).

Life at Fearless

We’re a digital integration consultancy on a mission to build a better tomorrow. At Fearless, we combine technology, people, and organizational development to solve meaningful problems. Through iterative development, we deliver smart, user-friendly solutions that make tech work better—for everyone.

But great tech is just part of the story. What really makes us Fearless is our Purple Culture.

What Makes Us Purple?

Being Purple means you:

• Are valued as a whole person—not just a job title
• Get matched with work that plays to your strengths and passions
• Are supported by coaches, not micromanagers
• Have the autonomy and clarity to make decisions and drive impact
• Join a community that celebrates equity, curiosity, and innovation
• Do work that matters—every day

We believe in flexibility, growth, and balance. Our benefits and culture are designed to support you in doing your best work—while making space for what matters to you outside of it.

We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer. At Fearless, we’re building a workplace that welcomes and respects everyone—across race, gender, age, religion, identity, background, and ability. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Compensation at Fearless

Fearless is committed to providing a competitive compensation package that will meet your current and future needs. Our philosophy is aimed at rewarding team member contributions, supporting long-term financial growth and security, and overall well-being. 

We believe in paying people fairly, so we've established a compensation model aimed to ensure everyone at Fearless — regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, nationality, or willingness/ability to negotiate — is consistently paid fairly based on alignment to the needs and requirements of the role. 

The salary range for this position is:

Minimum Salary: $120,588

Salary Midpoint: $156,764

Maximum Salary: $195,955

Hiring Range for Role: $120,588 - $159,000

*This position is eligible for a discretionary bonus based on individual and company performance criteria.

Benefits at Fearless

At Fearless, we take care of our team—because when you're supported, you can do your best work. We offer a flexible, family-friendly environment with benefits designed to support your health, growth, and life outside of work.

For Full-Time Team Members (Starting Day One):

• Flexible, life-friendly schedules
• 100% coverage for our medical HSA plan + HSA contributions
• Dental & vision covered 100% for you and your dependents
• Competitive premiums for HMO/PPO and dependent coverage
• 401(k) with 4% match & immediate vesting
• Paid Parental Leave and 12 weeks paid FMLA
• Generous PTO, 11 Federal Holidays, a Birthday Holiday, and Sick Leave
• Up to 15 days for Jury Duty and Bereavement Leave
• Education, wellness, and tech allowances
• Referral bonus: $6K–$12K for each successful referral
• Pet insurance & discount plans
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Legal support, life insurance, disability coverage
• Performance-Based Bonuses: We believe your impact should be recognized. Our bonus program rewards both shared company success and individual contributions. Learn more about our bonus incentives here.

Reasonable Accommodations

Fearless is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for applicants and candidates with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the Human Resources Department at hr@fearless.tech.

So, What’s Next?

We’ve refined our hiring approach to make sure every team member is a great fit for Fearless—and that we’re a great fit for you, too. If there’s alignment, we’ll reach out to kick off the interview process. Depending on the role or project, your experience may vary slightly, but it typically includes:

1. Introductory Interview

You'll connect with a recruiter to:

• Build rapport and get to know each other
• Review your experience and skills
• Talk through salary expectations and role details
• Set expectations for the rest of the process

2. Technical Assessment

We'll invite you to complete a role-specific assessment to see your skills in action. This helps us keep our hiring process fair and consistent. You can learn more about what to expect here.

3. Skills + Business Fit Interview

This is where we dig deeper to:

• Review findings from any technical assessments
• Walk through situational and values-based questions
• Explore how your approach aligns with Fearless culture and project needs

Some roles may also include customer interviews based on specific project requirements in addition to background check and security clearance requirements.

Where You Can Build with Fearless

At Fearless, we strive to build a powerful and diverse team. We are currently licensed and set up to hire talented individuals residing in the following 16 states:

Alabama, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

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